Birthstones Colours by Month: Chart and Alternate Stones

Birthstones colours by month follow a simple rhythm: deep red to start the year, cool blues and greens through spring and summer, warm golds in autumn and a bright sky blue to close December. Each month has a signature stone, and that stone gives the month its colour. Once you know the chart, choosing a gift, a ring or a pocket stone becomes much easier.

Below you will find the full chart, a closer look at each stone, why some months have more than one, and how to choose and care for yours. If you would like even more history behind the list, our guide to birthstones by each month goes deeper into the stories.

Birthstones colours by month: the full chart

The chart below lists the modern birthstone for each month, its signature colour, and the alternative or traditional stones you will often see alongside it. Think of the colour column as the shade most people picture, not the only one; several of these gems come in a range of colours.

If you mostly want a printable reference, our companion piece on colours for birthstones by month keeps things to the chart and short meanings. Here we spend a little longer with each stone.

January to April: red, purple, blue and clear

January: garnet, deep red

Garnet is the stone most people imagine as a dark, wine-like red, glowing almost black in low light and fiery when the sun catches it. Garnet is actually a family of minerals, so you will also meet orange, green and even purplish garnets, but the deep red is the classic January colour. In crystal traditions garnet is associated with commitment, steady energy and protection on journeys, and it was a popular travelling talisman in older folklore. People wear it as a ring or pendant through winter, or keep a tumbled garnet (a stone smoothed and polished in a rotating drum) on a desk as a reminder of their goals.

February: amethyst, purple

Amethyst ranges from soft lavender to a deep violet, and it is one of the easiest birthstones to find in every form: raw pieces (rough, unpolished stone), tumbled pebbles, and clusters, where many small crystal points grow together from a shared base. Amethyst belongs to the quartz family, which you can explore in our Quartz & family section. It is traditionally linked with calm, clear thinking and sobriety; the ancient Greeks connected it with staying clear-headed. Many people keep an amethyst cluster by the bed or hold a tumbled stone during meditation. Strong, direct sunlight over long periods is often said to fade its colour, so a shaded shelf suits it best.

March: aquamarine, pale sea blue

Aquamarine is named for seawater, and its colour sits between pale blue and soft blue-green, clear and gentle rather than intense. Sailors’ folklore treated it as a stone of safe passage, and in crystal traditions it is believed to support calm communication and courage when speaking up. It suits faceted jewellery beautifully because its light colour shows off clarity. March’s other stone, bloodstone, is a very different look: dark green with red flecks, long linked with strength and vitality in older traditions.

April: diamond, clear

April’s colour is no colour at all, which is why charts list it as clear or white. Diamond is prized for brilliance and is the hardest natural gem on the Mohs hardness scale, a simple ranking of how well a mineral resists scratching (our Mohs hardness scale gems chart explains it). Diamond symbolises lasting love and strength. For those who prefer something gentler on the budget, clear quartz, often called rock crystal, is the traditional April alternative and is valued in crystal practice as an all-purpose “amplifier” stone. You can read more in our guide to types of quartz.

May to August: green, cream, red and lime

May: emerald, rich green

Emerald is the green that other greens are compared with: lush, saturated and slightly velvety. Most emeralds contain tiny natural inclusions, which gem lovers affectionately call the stone’s “garden”. In tradition emerald stands for renewal, loyalty and growth, fitting for the height of spring. Because fine emerald jewellery can be costly, many May-born people choose green chrysoprase or green agate instead; agate has its own place in the quartz family.

June: pearl, moonstone and alexandrite

June has the widest choice of any month. Pearl is creamy white with a soft, inner glow called lustre, and it has long been connected with purity, wisdom and the moon. Moonstone shares that lunar mood: it looks milky and translucent, with a floating blue or white sheen that seems to move as you tilt it. You can explore it in our Moon & light collection. Alexandrite is the surprise of the set, a colour-changing gem that looks greenish in daylight and reddish under warm lamp light. Its symbolism leans toward balance and adaptability. If you are drawn to pearl or moonstone, wear them as earrings or pendants rather than everyday rings, where they are less likely to knock against hard surfaces.

July: ruby, red

Ruby is a brighter, purer red than January’s garnet, sometimes with a slight pinkish or purplish tone. In many cultures it was called a king among gems, linked with passion, courage and vitality. Ruby is a tough, durable stone, which makes it a sensible choice for rings that will be worn daily. Carnelian, an orange-red member of the quartz family, appears in some lists as a gentler alternative and is believed in crystal traditions to support motivation and creativity.

August: peridot, lime green

Peridot has a fresh lime or olive green colour, lighter and more yellowish than emerald. Folklore links it with the sun and with warding off night fears, and crystal lovers often describe it as a stone of warmth and optimism. August now has two more choices: spinel, which comes in many colours including vivid reds and pinks, and sardonyx, a banded stone of reddish brown and white layers that was traditionally carved into seals and cameos.

September to December: blue, rainbow, gold and sky blue

September: sapphire, blue

Sapphire is best known in royal or cornflower blue, though it also forms in pink, yellow and other colours, sometimes sold as “fancy” sapphires. Its meanings are wisdom, truth and faithfulness, and it has been worn by clergy and royalty for centuries. Like ruby, sapphire is durable enough for engagement rings and daily wear. Some lists also give September lapis lazuli, a deep blue stone flecked with gold.

October: opal and pink tourmaline

Opal is the only birthstone whose “colour” is really a flash of many colours. This shifting rainbow effect is called play of colour, and no two opals look alike. In folklore opal has been seen as a stone of imagination, hope and emotional honesty. Opal is generally treated as a delicate gem, so it is better suited to pendants and earrings than to rings that get bumped. Pink tourmaline, October’s second stone, offers a soft rose to bright pink and is associated with tenderness and compassion.

November: topaz and citrine, golden

November is the warm, golden month. Topaz is sold in many colours, but golden yellow and orange-brown “imperial” shades are the traditional November look; blue topaz is also widely available. Citrine, a yellow to honey-gold quartz, is November’s other stone and a favourite in crystal practice for abundance and confidence. It often appears in collections of crystals for good luck and money.

December: turquoise, tanzanite and zircon

December’s palette is cool and bright. Turquoise is an opaque sky blue to blue-green, sometimes laced with darker veins called matrix, and it is one of the oldest protective stones in human history. Tanzanite has a violet-blue colour that can look more blue or more purple depending on the angle, and blue zircon has a lively sparkle. Turquoise is a porous stone, so keep lotions, perfume and soaking water away from it.

Why some months have more than one birthstone

If you have ever seen two charts disagree, you are not imagining it. There are several overlapping lists, and they come from different eras.

• Traditional lists grew out of centuries of folklore and religious history, and they vary from country to country. These often include stones like bloodstone, sardonyx and clear quartz.
• The modern list was standardised by American jewellers in the early twentieth century and has been updated since, adding stones such as alexandrite, tanzanite and spinel to widen the choice of colours and prices.
• Mystical or spiritual lists appear in some crystal traditions, linking stones to zodiac signs, planets or energy themes instead of the calendar month.

This is why birthstones colours by month can look slightly different depending on where you read them. January is almost always red, but some lists add pink rose quartz; February is almost always purple, but bloodstone sometimes shares the month. Neither list is wrong. They are simply different traditions, and you are free to choose the one that feels right. Our page on how the journal approaches crystal traditions explains how we present these differences.

How to find and choose your birthstone colour

Using a chart of birthstones colours by month is straightforward, but a few extra steps help you choose a stone you will actually love wearing.

1. Find your month on the chart. Note the modern stone and its signature colour.
2. Look at the alternatives. If the modern stone is outside your budget or style, the traditional stone may suit you better.
3. Decide how you will use it. A ring worn every day needs a durable stone; a pendant, a pocket stone or a piece on a shelf can be more delicate.
4. Read its meaning. Many people choose between two options by the symbolism that speaks to them, such as courage, calm or renewal.
5. Check that it is genuine. Imitations of popular birthstones are common, so it helps to know the basics in our guide on how to tell if a crystal is real.

A worked example: a family birthstone piece

Imagine you want a small family bracelet or a dish of tumbled stones for a parent, with one stone for each child born in March, July and November. A quick look at birthstones colours by month gives you pale blue aquamarine, red ruby and golden topaz. That is a beautiful trio, but fine ruby can be costly. Swapping in the traditional alternatives gives you dark green bloodstone, orange-red carnelian and honey-gold citrine, which share a warm, earthy look and are easier to find as tumbled stones. You could also mix: aquamarine for March, carnelian for July, citrine for November. The colours still tell the story of each child, and the piece stays affordable.

Mistakes people make

• Assuming one colour per stone. Garnet, sapphire, topaz and tourmaline all come in several colours. If someone wants “their” colour, specify the shade.
• Ignoring durability. Delicate stones like opal and pearl look lovely, but they need more gentle handling than ruby or sapphire for daily rings.
• Thinking only the modern list counts. Traditional stones have a much longer history, and many people find them more meaningful.
• Confusing colour with value. A pale stone is not necessarily a lesser one; aquamarine is meant to be soft and light.

When you are ready to add a few stones to your own collection, Spirit Magicka is the journal’s own crystal shop, offering crystals and minerals at wholesale prices.

Lucky, rare and meaningful: the bigger questions

Is there a luckiest birthstone?

No stone is proven to bring luck. In folklore, though, almost every birthstone was carried as a talisman of some kind: garnet for safe travel, turquoise for protection, emerald for renewal. Many people simply consider their own birthstone the luckiest for them, which is a lovely way to think about it. If protection is your focus, our guide to crystals for protection from negative energy collects the stones most often used for it.

Which birthstone months are rarest?

Rarity depends far more on quality than on the month. Still, jewellers often point to June, for fine colour-changing alexandrite, December, for tanzanite, and July, for deep, clean ruby. The good news is that each of these months also has a more accessible option, such as moonstone, turquoise or carnelian. Our list of rare gemstones looks at scarce stones beyond the birthstone chart.

Using your birthstone in daily practice

Beyond jewellery, people use their birthstone colour in small, personal rituals: holding a tumbled stone during a few quiet breaths in the morning, placing one on a windowsill or altar, or adding it to a simple crystal layout. None of these replace medical or mental-health care, but many people find them comforting, a way to feel connected to their birthday and the season they were born in.

Caring for your birthstones

Because the stones on a chart of birthstones colours by month vary so much, there is no single care rule that suits them all. A few gentle habits keep most of them looking their best:

• Store pieces separately. Harder stones like diamond, ruby and sapphire can scratch softer ones if they share a pouch.
• Put jewellery on last. Perfume, hairspray and lotions can dull pearls, opals and turquoise.
• Wipe with a soft, dry cloth after wearing, rather than reaching for harsh cleaners.
• Check before using water or salt. Some birthstones dislike soaking, heat or salt, so look up each stone’s needs before any cleansing ritual. Our guide to how to cleanse crystals at home covers gentle methods such as sound, smoke-free visualisation and resting on a clear quartz or selenite plate.
• Keep small stones away from children and pets, since tumbled pebbles are easy to swallow.

For individual stone profiles, the crystal library gathers every article in one place, and the Earth treasures section covers stones like garnet, peridot and turquoise. Our article answering what are the birthstones by month is a handy quick reference too. And if you would like to begin a small birthstone collection for yourself or as a gift, you can browse the wholesale crystals at Spirit Magicka.

Whatever month you were born in, the chart is only a starting point. Birthstones colours by month give you a shared language of reds, blues, greens and golds, but the stone you choose, and the meaning you give it, is entirely yours.